SF 

99 


CHC   .         D  AS  EMERGENT 

CATTI  -:2S 

-  C.  L.  For sling 
".3.D.A.  Bui*  #745*          January  29,  1919 


LXI  Libraxv 


UNITED  STATES  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE 

BULLETIN  No.  745 


Contribution  from  the  Forest  Service 
HENRY  S.  GRAVES,  Forester 


Washington,  P.  C. 


January  29,  1919 


CHOPPED    SOAPWEED    AS    EMERGENCY    FEED 
FOR  CATTLE  ON  SOUTHWESTERN  RANGES. 

By  C.  L.  FOKSLING,  Grazing  Examiner. 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

1 

2 

3 

7 

9 

10 

The  cost  of  soapweed  feed 10 

The  cost  of  a  maintenance  ration 11 


The  need  of  emergency  feed 

Soapweed  as  range  forage 

Cut  soapweed  as  emergency  feed. 

The  collection  of  soapweed 

The  preparation  of  soapweed 

Feeding  the  soapweed 


Page. 
The  time  required  for  cattle  to  learn  to  cat 

soapweed 11 

The  amount  of  soapweed  cattle  will  eat 12 

111  effects  from  eating  soapweed 12 


Fattening  on  soapweed  and  cottonseed  meal. . 

Growth  habits  of  soapweed 

Necessity  for  conservative,  selective  cutting. . 

Use  of  related  species 

Summary 


THE  NEED  OF  EMERGENCY  FEED. 

Heavy  losses  of  stoc'k  resulting  from  long  periods  of  drought  are 
the  greatest  handicap  of  the  stock  industry  on  the  ranges  of  the 
Southwest.  Such  droughts  have  occurred  at  intervals  of  from.  3  to 
10  years.  When  these  droughts  continue  for  more  than  a  year  the 
situation  becomes  critical  because  of  lack  of  range  forage  or  other 
available  feed. 

Cottonseed  products  serve  well  as  supplemental  feed  in  times  when 
enough  range  forage  is  available  to  provide  the  necessary  roughage. 
During  prolonged  droughts  like  the  present  one,  which  began  early 
in  1916  and  continues  unbroken  at  the  present  time  (June  15,  1918), 
the  range  forage  crop  may  be  so  small  as  to  require  other  roughage 
as  well  as  concentrated  feeds. 

The  problem  may  be  solved  in  part  in  some  of  the  less  arid  regions 
by  raising  fodder  crops  by  dry  farming.  The  ranges  where  this  is 
practicable  at  present,  however,  are  not  extensive.  On  a  few  ranges, 
adjacent  to  irrigated  districts,  the  necessary  emergency  feeds  might 
be  furnished  by  crops  from  such  irrigated  areas;  but  this  supply  at 

81176°— 19— Bull.  745 1 


488 


*4o,"u!   S.   DEPAETMENT  OF   AGRICULTURE. 

best  would  -be  restricted  to  range  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
irrigated  areas  and  would  not  provide  emergency  feed  for  the  larger 
portion  of  the  ranges  of  the  Southwest,  where  losses  have  been  heavy, 
and  where  breeding  herds  established  through  years  of  effort  have 
been  sacrificed. 

In  the  hope  of  meeting  the  problem  on  such  ranges,  at  least  to  an. 
extent  which  will  make  it  possible  to  maintain  the  breeding  herd 
over  critical  periods,  the  Department  of  Agriculture  for  a  number  of 
years  has  been  cooperating  with  a  practical  stockman  on  the  Jornada 
Range  Reserve1  in  southern  New  Mexico  in  working  out  a  compre- 
hensive plan  of  range  management  and  supplemental  feeding.  For 
several  years  this  plan  has  included  investigation  of  the  use  of  native 
vegetation  as  emergency  feed.  The  results  of  range  management 
with  supplemental  feeding,  and  of  the  initial  tests  to  determine  the 
value  of  soapweed  as  ensilage,  were  reported  in  Department  of 
Agriculture  Bulletin  588.2  Later  investigations,  including  extensive 
experimental  feeding,  have  shown  conclusively  that  soapweed,  if 
properly  utilized,  is  of  great  value  as  an  emergency  stock  feed. 

SOAPWEED  AS  RANGE  FORAGE. 

Soapweed  (Yucca  elata)  is  recognized  as  a  valuable  forage  plant 
in  its  native  state-  on  the  range.  The  green  leaves'  are  eaten  during 
winter  and  spring,  especially  when  a  shortage  of  other  forage  exists. 
Ordinarily,  the  sharp  points  of  the  leaves  discourage  grazing,  but 
where  other  forage  is  scarce  cattle  learn  to  chew  the  leaves  from  the 
center  or  base  toward  the  sharp  end.  It  is  very. difficult  to  estimate 
the  exact  food  value  of  each  plant,  but  where  from  170  to  300  plants 
per  acre  are  found  no  small  amount  of  forage  may  be  obtained  from 
them.  In  the  fall  of  1917  a  herd  of  cattle  in  southern  New  Mexico 
was  maintained  for  at  least  two  months  on  a  range  where  the  green 
soapweed  leaves  furnished  50  per  cent  or  more  of  the  forage.  On 
an  overgrazed  pasture  at  a  distance  of  2  miles  from  water  47  per 
cent  of  the  soapweed  plants  were  grazed;  and  on  closely  grazed 
range  3  miles  from  water  about  30  per  cent  were  grazed.  In  many 
cases  the  entire  leafage  of  soapweed  plants  was  utilized. 

The  soapweed  blossoms  are  of  especially  great  value.  The  panicles 
of  large  white  flowers  appear  on  stalks  commonly  from  4  to  10  feet 

1  The  Jornada  Range  Reserve  is  located  in  Dona  Ana  County,  N.  Mex.,  about  50  miles 
north  of  the  Mexican  boundary.     It  includes  a  range  unit  of  approximately  200,000  acres. 
The  average  rainfall  is  less  than  9  inches  and  varies  from  3.5  inches  to  15  inches. 

Mr.  C.  T.  Turney,  the  cooperating  stockman,  originated  the  idea  of  using  the  soapweed 
as  a  supplemental  feed  on  the  Jornada  Range  Reserve  and  was  principally  responsible  for 
getting  manufacturers  to  develop  the  machines  which  are  now  used  successfully  in  chop- 
ping the  soapweed. 

2  Jardine,  J.  T.,  and  limit,  L.  C.,  Increased  Cattle  Production  on  Southwestern  Ranges, 
Bulletin  588,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  1917. 


.  .  .       . 

CHOPPED  SOAPWEED  AS  EMERGENCY   FEETX'  •''"'•          3 

tall.  Both  the  stalks  and  the  flowers  are  palatable.  The  stalks  begin 
to  make  their  appearance  early  in  May,  and  the  stalks  and  flowers 
are  good  forage  until  late  in  June.  Cattle  thrive  on  them.  Besides, 
they  are  so  succulent  that  cattle  grazing  on  them  can  go  several  days 
without  water.  This  makes  possible  the  use,  for  a  short  period  at 
least,  of  range  which  otherwise  might  not  be  utilized  on  account  of 
its  great  distance  from  water.  The  value  of  the  bloom  crop  is  in- 
creased by  the  fact  that  it  occurs  during  a  critical  season  when  other 
forage  usually  is  scarce  and  the  stock  is  in  poor  condition.  Without 
it,  it  would  be  difficult  in  many  cases  to  carry  the  stock  through  until 
the  summer  rains.  The  main  drawback  is  the  uncertainty  of  a  full 
crop.  Large  crops  occur  at  intervals  of  several  years,  usually  in  the 
spring  following  a  rainy  autumn.  However,  some  of  the  plants 
bloom  each  year,  so  that  a  small  annual  supply  can  be  depended 
upon. 

The  young  leaves  or  growing  tips  of  the  soapweed  stems  also  are 
valuable  for  forage  immediately  after  growth  has  started  in  the 
spring.  It  is  common  to  see  a  cow  go  from  one  plant  to  another 
biting  out  the  center  or  growing  tips. 

The  value  of  soapweed  as  stock  forage  in  its  native  state  on  the 
range  makes  it  desirable,  other  things  being  equal,  to  use  range  sup- 
porting the  heaviest  stands  of  soapweed  during  the  winter  and 
spring.  This  practice,  of  course,  should  vary  so  as  to  secure  the 
maximum  use  of  the  most  important  forage  plants  on  the  area. 

Close  observation  during  the  winter,  spring,  and  early  summer  on 
closely  grazed  cattle  ranges  where  soapweed  occurs  in  any  abundance 
will  convince  anyone  that  soapweed  is  valuable  as  a  range  forage 
plant.  Even  when  grazed  to  the  best  advantage,  however,  it  does  not 
adequately  meet  the  requirements  of  .an  emergency  feed.  The  nour- 
ishment obtained  ^  from  grazing  the  leaves  alone  is  not  sufficient  to 
tide  an  animal  over  for  more  than  a  very  short  period,  and  drought 
may  make  it  necessary  to  give  additional  feed  to  stock  long  before 
the  growth  of  the  soapweed  begins. 

CUT  SOAPWEED  AS  EMERGENCY  FEED. 

PRELIMINARY  EXPERIMENTS. 

Investigations  to  determine  the  practicability  of  cutting  and  feed- 
ing soapweed  were  begun  at  the  Jornada  Eange  Reserve  in  1$15.  In 
December,  1915,  approximately  150  tons  of  the  heads  and  leaf  por- 
tions were  gathered  and  run.  through  an  ordinary  ensilage  cutter  into 
a  pit  silo.  In  March,  1916,  the  silo  was  opened  and  about  10  tons 
of  the  soapweed  ensilage  was  fed  to  poor  cows  over  a-  period  of  sev- 
eral weeks.  The  results  of  the  feeding  were  encouraging,  although 


4         '     '  \BULLlffrN   74l5*"tf.    S.* 'DEPARTMENT  OF   AGRICULTURE. 


the  stock  had  difficulty  in  eating  the  ensilage  (which  they  relished) 
because  the  cutter  had  not  chopped  the  material  fine  enough. 

The  silo  was  opened  again  in  January,  1918,  and  about  30  tons  of 
the  ensilage  fed  to  poor  cows,  many  of  them  suckling  calves.  About 
15  pounds  of  a  mixture  of  ensilage  and  cottonseed  meal,  in  the  ratio 
of  10  pounds  to  1,  was  fed  to  each  cow  daily.  The  ensilage  was  in  a, 
good  state  of  preservation,  and  the  leaves  had  softened  a  good  deal ; 
but  the  fiber  appeared  to  be  about  as  tough  as  when  the  material 
was  put  into  the  silo  in  1915.  The  feeding  gave  good  results.  The 
silo  was  closed  again  to  save  the  remainder  of  the  ensilage  for 
emergency. 

After  the  feeding  of  1915-16,  investigations  were  made  to  deter- 
mine the  food  value  of  the  stems  and  leaves  of  the  soapweed  plants. 
The  following  results  of  chemical  analyses  show  that  the  material 
as  a  whole  has  a  comparatively  high  food  value. 

Chemical  analyses  of  soapweed  (Yucca  data),  compared  with  chemical  analyses 
of  important  native  range  grasses  of  the  same  locality,  on  moisture-free  basis. 


Soapweed.1 

Black 
grama 
grass.2 

Red 
three-awn 
grass.2 

Stems. 

Leaves. 

Ash  

Per  cent. 
8.4 
2.0 
4.25 
35.1 
50.25 

Per  cent. 
6.7 
3.6 
8.2 
38.4 
43.1 

Per  cent. 
7.4 
1.4 
4.6 
33.2 
53.4 

Per  cent. 
8.2 
1.1 
4.8 
35.6 
50.3 

Ether  extract 

Protein             

Crude  fiber                                .        

Nitrogen-free  extract                                          

Total  

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

Chemical  analyses  of  soapweed  (Yucca  elata),  compared  with  chemical  analyses 
of  alfalfa,  corn  ensilage,  and  fresh  green  timothy,  on  moisture  basis. 


Water. 

Ash. 

Ether 
extract. 

Protein. 

Crude 
fiber. 

Nitro- 
gen-free 
extract. 

Number 
ofanaly- 
ses. 

Soapweed  stems  ' 

Per  cent. 
54  7 

Per  cent. 
3  6 

Per  cent. 
1  i 

Per  cent. 
1.3 

Per  cent. 
15  2 

Per  cent. 
24  1 

2 

Soapweed  leaves  3  

42.3 

3.6 

3.1 

4.5 

22.3 

24  2 

2 

Fresh  green  alfalfa  * 

74.7 

2.4 

1.0 

4  5 

7.0 

10  4 

143 

Immature  corn  ensilage  * 

73  7 

1  7 

.8 

2  1 

6  3 

15  4 

121 

Fresh  green  timothy  * 

62  5 

2  2 

1  2 

3  1 

11  7 

19  3 

88 

1  Average  of  f->ur  analyses  made  by  the  Bureau  of  Chemistry,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  from 
samples  submitted  Sept.  10, 1917,  Apr.  18,  May  14.  and  May  31, 1918. 

*  Average  of  24  analyses  made  by  the  Bureau  of  Chemistry,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  from  sam- 
ples submitted  each  month  beginning  April,  1916,  and  ending  March,  1918. 

3  Average  of  two  analyses  by  Bureau  of  Chemistry.  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  from  samples  sub- 
mitted May  14  and  May  31, 1918. 

« Analyses  of  alfalfa,  corn  ensilage,  and  timothy  taken  from  "Feeds  and  Feeding"  by  Henry  and  Mor- 
rison. 

The  two  native  grasses,  black  grama  grass  (Bouteloua  eriopoda) 
and  red  three-awn  grass  (Aristida  longiseta)  are  the  most  important 
grasses  on  the  Jornada  Range  Reserve,  and  yet  the  comparison  is 


CHOPPED   SOAPWEED  AS  EMERGENCY   FEED.  5 

slightly  in  favor  of  the  soapweed.  Although  soapweed  is  consider- 
ably higher  in  crude  fiber  and  ash  than  fresh  green  alfalfa,  immature 
corn  ensilage,  and  fresh  green  timothy,  the  comparison  in  the  amount 
of  ether  extract  (fat)  protein,  and  nitrogen-free  extract  is  favorable 
enough  to  indicate  that  the  soapweed  is  a  valuable  feed  so  far  as  this 
is  determined  by  chemical  analysis  alone. 

Steps  were  taken  also  to  secure  a  machine  which  would  chop  the 
plants  finer,  and  several  types  of  machines  designed  to  cut  the  entire 
soapweqd  plant  into  material  more  suitable  for  feeding  were  put  on 
the  market  early  in  1918.  One  of  these  was  installed  at  the  Jornada 
Range  Reserve-  January  13,  1918,  and  was  there  perfected  to  chop 
the  plants  satisfactorily. 

SOAPWEED  FEEDING  ON  THE  JORNADA  RANGE  RESERVE  IN  1918. 

As  a'  result  of  the  prolonged  drought  the  range  forage  crop  on 
the  Jornada  Range  Reserve  in  1917  was  far  below  normal.  Conse- 
quently little  range  forage  was  left  by  January  1,  1918,  and  it  was 
apparent  that  extensive  feeding  would  be  necessary  to  maintain  a 
large  percentage  of  the  cows  suckling  calves  and  the  cows  heavy  with 
calf.  Accordingly,  the  feeding  of  chopped  soapweed  and  cottonseed 
meal1  was  begun  January  20,  1918,  with  the  object  of  preventing  loss 
of  cattle  and  maintaining  the  herd  as  cheaply  as  possible  over  the 
critical  period  until  range  forage  became  available.  Riders  were 
set  to  work  gathering  cows  that  were  approaching  a  critical  con- 
dition, and  the  number  in.  the  feed  lot  .was  increased  daily.  Soap- 
weed  feeding  was  still  in  progress  June  15,  1918. 

During  the  first  70  days  of  feeding  an  unsystematic  effort  was  made 
to  segregate  the  weaker  cattle  and  feed  them  separately  from  the 
rest.  Where  a  large  number  of  cattle  varying  in  condition  are  fed 
in  one  feed  lot,  the  weaker  ones  are  crowded  away  from  the  feed  and 
will  not  improve  in  condition  as  they  should. 

Segregation  was  found  to  be  important,  and  after  the  first  70  days 
the  work  was  systematized  so  that  the  poorer  cows  were  placed  in 
a  feed  lot  by  themselves  in  small  groups  where  they  could  receive 
individual  attention  if  necessary,  and  were  fed  a  slightly  heavier 
ration  than  the  main  herd.  After  a  short  period  of  special  attention 
and  of  feeding  on  the  heavier  ration,  many  of  the  poorer  cows  im- 
proved in  condition  and  were  put  with  the  main  herd  on  the  lighter 
feeding. 

It  was  found  that  the  poorer  cows  when  fed  a  daity  ration  of  25 
pounds  of  the  chopped  soapweed  and  3  pounds  of  cottonseed  meal 
gained  sufficiently  in  strength  and  condition  in  from  20  to  30  days  to 
go  into  the  main  lot  on  a  lighter  ration.  Stock  in  the  main  feed  lot 
were  fed  a  ration  of  from  15  to  20  pounds  of  the  chopped  soapweed 
and  from  1  to  1^  pounds  of  cottonseed  meal.  After  from  35  to  40 


6 


/.  z*»r  •*••*•**!•    •  ••     * 

••••  ••*•  •*  •  ^  «  •••    •  •«•  •  , 

'BULLETIN  7*4£,"u.'  s*.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


days  on  this  ration  about  85  per  cent  of  the  stock  were  put  back  on 
the  range  and  fed  1£  pounds  per  day  of  cottonseed  cake  alone  to  sup- 
plement the  dry  grass  and  scattered  browse  forage  available. 

The  number  of  cattle  on  feed  varied  from  day  to  day.  For  the 
first  100  days  the  daily  average  was  340  head,  varying  from  500  head 
to  200  head  for  short  periods  following  the  return  of  stock  from  the 
feed  lot  to  the  range.  More  than  1,000  different  individuals  were  in 
the  feed  lots  between  January  20  and  June  1. 

During  the  first  100  days  approximately  306  tons  of  the  chopped 
soapweed  were  fed,  and  feeding  was  continued  at  approximately  the 
same  rate  up  to  June  1.  The  average  period  that  individual  animals 
were  fed  on  soapweed  and  cottonseed  meal  during  the  first  100  days 
of  feeding  was  35  days.  Some  animals  were  fed  during  the  entire 
period  and  others  less  than  two  weeks.  After  about  35  days  of  feed- 
ing on  the  soapweed  and  cottonseed  meal  the  majority  of  the  animals 
gained  in  strength  and  flesh  sufficiently  to  warrant  their  being  put 
back  on  pasture  with  a  daily  feeding  of  1J  pounds  of  cottonseed  cake. 

No  weights  of  cattle  were  taken  to  determine  accurately  the  gains 
made  as  a  result  of  the  feeding.  Under  practical  range  conditions  in 
time  of  drought,  however,  the  measure  of  success  in  feeding  is  the 
percentage  of  cattle  carried  over  the  critical  period  without  excessive 
cost  and  without  the  sacrifice  of  the  breeding  herd  or  a  great  reduc- 
tion in  the  calf  crop.  It  is  estimated  that  without  the  soapweed 
feeding  probably  50  per  cent  of  the  1,000  head  fed  during  approxi- 
mately 150  days  from  January  to  June  would  have  been  lost.  It 
might  have  been  possible  to  save  the  other  50  per  cent  by  a  ration  of 
cottonseed  cake  to  supplement  the  scant  range  forage.  As  a  result  of 
the  feeding  the  losses  due  to  starvation  from  approximately  2,500 
head  were  approximately  1  per  cent  for  the  150-day  period,  and  the 
breeding  stock  are  in  condition  to  produce  a  reasonably  good  calf 
crop  provided  the  drought  is  broken  by  summer  rains.  Furthermore, 
the  breeding  stock  on  the  reserve  have  been  maintained  at  approxi- 
mately the  number  the  area  will  carry  normally,  and  the  efforts  of 
years  in  building  up  the  breeding  herd  have  not  been  lost.  Conse- 
quently, normal  production  of  live  stock  will  begin  at  once  after  the 
drought  is  broken. 

On  near-by  ranges  without  provision  for  reserving  pasturage  or  for 
extensive  feeding,  losses  have  been  from  10  to  20  per  cent  during  the 
first  150  days  of  1918.  In  some  cases  where  the  range  was  over- 
stocked the  breeding  stock  have  been  sacrificed  and  material  loss  has 
been  suffered  both  in  the  death  of  animals  and  in  low  market  prices 
due  to  the  poor  condition  of  the  stock. 

The  cost  of  feeding,  as  well  as  the  success  achieved  in  preventing 
losses,  is  influenced  greatly  by  the  ability  of  the  riders  who  gather 
the  animals.  Careful  riders  accustomed  to  handling  poor  cattle  sort 


CHOPPED   SOAPWEED  AS   EMERGENCY   EEKD.          .       .  7 

out  only  those  animals  which  must  be  fed  to  prevent  loss,  so  that 
unnecessary  feeding  of  the  stronger  animals  as  well  as  unnecessary 
loss  through  failure  to  feed  the  weaker  ones  is  avoided.  Where  a 
range  is  totally  denuded  of  forage  it  is  necessary,  of  course,  to  main- 
tain the  entire  herd  on  the  soapweed  and  cottonseed  meal  feeding. 
This,  however,  is  rarely  the  case.  More  often  the  stronger  animals 
can  be  maintained  on  the  range  without  other  feed ;  those  not  exceed- 
ingly poor  and  weak  can  be  maintained  by  feeding  from  1  to  2 
pounds  of  cottonseed  products  daily  to  supplement  the  range  forage ; 
and  only  the  weaker  ones  have  to  be  fed  the  soapweed  and  cotton- 
seed products. 

SOAPWEED  FEEDING  ON  OTHER  RANGES  IN  1918. 

Stockmen  throughout  the  Southwest  have  watched  with  interest 
ths  development  of  soapweed  feeding,  and  many  of  them  using 
ranges  where  conditions  are  similar  to  those  of  the  Jornada  Range 
Eeserve  secured  machines  to  chop  the  soapweed  and  began  feeding 
operations  early  in  1918.  It  is  estimated  that  more  than  100  herds 
varying  from  a  few  head  to  1,000  head  were  being  fed  soapweed  by 
June  1,  1918.  In  a  few  cases  at  least  the  soapweed  was  tried  as  a 
feed  without  cottonseed  products.  So  far  as  observations  went,  how- 
ever, the  results  were  not  entirely  satisfactory,  and  cottonseed  meal 
was  added.  This  method  of  feeding  has  usually  given  good  results, 
and  there  is  no  doubt  that  by  it  many  thousands  of  cattle  were  saved 
from  starvation  during  the  first  five  months  of  1918. 

THE  COLLECTION  OF  SOAPWEED. 

BURNING    AWAY   DEAD    LEAVES. 

The  dry  dead  leaves  are  very  low  in  nutritive  value,  as  is  shown 
by  chemical  analysis,  and  are  exceptionally  high  in  crude  fiber  con- 
tent, which  makes  digestion  difficult.  They  are  very  dry  and  harsh 
and  extremely  unpalatable.  It  is  desirable,  therefore,  to  remove  them 
before  chopping  the  soapweed.  This  can  be  accomplished  best  by 
burning  the  dead  portions  from*  the  plants  while  they  are  standing 
in  the  field,  provided  the  vegetation  on  the  ground  is  not  enough 
to  spread  the  fire.  The  dry  leaves  burn  readily  and  in  a  short  time, 
leaving  uninjured  the  succulent  stem  and  the  green  foliage  at  the 
top  of  the  plant.  One  man  with  a  torch  working  ahead  of  the  men 
doing  the  cutting  and  hauling  can  burn  the  dead  portions  of  from  8 
to  15  tons  of  soapweed  plants  per  day.  A  simple  and  effective  torch 
may  be  made  from  a  dead  soapweed  trunk  from  12  to  18  inches  long 
carried  on  an  iron  rod  5  to  6  feet  long  with  a  small  hook  at  one  end. 
Such-  dry,  dead  trunks  are  plentiful,  light,  and  easily  handled. 

Burning  can  be  done  best  on  days  when  little  or  no  wind  is  blow- 
ing, as  high  winds  often  extinguish  the  fire  before  the  dead  leaves 
are  completely  burned.  No  depreciation  in  the  food  value  of  the 


8  •  WLL£toN74S;  *U'.£.;  APARTMENT  OF   AGRICULTURE. 

plants  appears  to  follow  from  standing  several  days  after  burning, 
and  by  burning  several  days  ahead,  of  the  cutting,  it  is  possible  to 
avoid  days  when  the  wind  is  high. 

Where  there  is  danger  of  fire  spreading  over  the  range,  burning 
should  be  done  after  the  plants  have  been  hauled  to  the  chopping 
machine  and  arranged  on  the  ground.  To  avoid  undue  shrinkage, 
the  plants  should  be  placed  in  rows  two  plants  wide  with  the  butts 
together  and  the  green  tops  to  the  outside.  This  precaution  prevents 
fire  from  becoming  hot  enough  to  burn  the  green  leaves  or  succulent 
stem,  and  keeps  the  shrinkage  down  to  about  30  per  cent  of  the 
original  weight.  Where  the  plants  are  scattered  thickly  over  the 
ground  (PL  II,  fig.  2)  burning  results  in  a  shrinkage  of  about  40  per 
cent,  the  increase  being  due  to  the  fire's  becoming  hot  enough  to  burn 
the  green  leaves. 

SELECTING  AND  CUTTING  THE  PLANTS  IN  THE  FIELD. 

On  the  Jornada  Range  Reserve  plants  36  inches  or  less  In  height 
were  not  cut,  and  occasionally  plants  tall  enough  for  the  seed  stalks 
to  be  out  of  the  reach  of  cattle  were  left  for  seeding.  The  plants 
under  36  inches  were  left  on  the  range  partly  as  a  protection  for 
the  soil  against  wind  erosion,  partly  because  they  furnish  consider- 
able grazing  until  the  growing  tips,  seed  stalks,  and  flowers  are 
beyond  the  reach  of  cattle,  and  partly  because  small  plants  can  not 
be  handled  in  the  feeding  operations  as  economically  as  larger  ones. 

The  plants  were  cut  at  the  surface  of  the  ground.  Investigations 
are  under  way  to  determine  whether  this  procedure  should  be  modi- 
fied in  order  to  insure  the  production  of  new  growth  in  the  minimum 
time.  After  cutting,  the  new  leaves  begin  growth  just  below  the 
ground  surface,  and  it  may  be  necessary  to  leave  a  small  portion 
of  the  stem  above  ground. 

HAULING  THE  PLANTS  TO  THE  CHOPPING  MACHINE. 

As  the  plants  were  cut  they  were  loaded  upon  a  wide  rack  and 
arranged  in  orderly  rows,  so  as  to  make  the  most  effective  use  of 
space  and  facilitate  unloading.  Both  loading  and  unloading  are 
done  most  conveniently  by  hand. 

Where  the  feeding  operations  are  on  a  rather  extensive  scale  a 
crew  can  be  kept  cutting  and  hauling  continually.  A  crew  of  four 
men  with  two  4-mule  teams  for  hauling  can  work  to  good  advan- 
tage. One  man  acting  as  foreman  directs  the  operations,  selects 
the  plants  for  cutting,  and  burns  off  the  dead  leaves,  if  burning  is 
done  before  the  plants  are  cut.  Two  men  with  axes  cut  the  plants 
and  pass  them  up  to  a  third  man,  who  arranges  them  on  the  rack 
and  drives  the  team.  A  crew  of  this  size  can  select,  burn,  cut,  and 
haul  four  loads,  approximately  8  tons,  per  day  where  the  haul  is 
not  over  2J  miles. 


Bui.  745,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture. 


PLATE  I 


:"* 


FIG.  I.— SOAPWEED  PLANTS  WHICH  HAVE  BEEN  EXTENSIVELY  GRAZED  BY  CATTLE 
ON  AN  OVERGRAZED  RANGE. 

Such  general  grazing  of  soapweed  and  stubby  appearance  of  the  plants  are  good  indications  that 

the  range  is  overstocked. 


™ 


FIG.  2.— BREEDING  CATTLE  BEING  FED  FROM  15  TO  20  POUNDS  OF  SOAPWEED 
WITH  FROM  I  TO  \1A  POUNDS  OF  COTTONSEED  MEAL  PER  DAY  TO  MAINTAIN 

THEM  THROUGH  A   DROUGHT  AT  THE  JORNADA  RANGE  RESERVE. 

Over  1,000  poor  cows  on  the  Reserve  were  fed  between  January  20  and  June  15, 1918,  and  thousands 
of  head  were  fed  a  similar  ration  on  other  stock  ranches  of  the  Southwest  during  the  spring 
of  1918. 


FIG.  3.— CUTTING  AND  LOADING  SOAPWEED. 

Four  men  with  two  wagons  and  eight  mules  can  cut  and  hauls  tons  per  dav  when  tha  ban! 

is  not  over  2£  miles. 


Bui.  745,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture. 


PLATE  II. 


FIG.  I.— SOAPWEED  READY  TO  BE  CUT  FOR  STOCK  FEED. 

The  dead  leaves  have  been  burned  off.  One  hundred  and  fifty  plants,  each  averaging  35  pounds 
in  weight,  or  more  than  5,200  pounds  of  soapweed  per  acre,  were  cut  from  this  area.  It  is 
probable  that  more  careful  selection  in  cutting  should  have  been  practiced  so  as  to  leave 
enough  plants  for  protection  against  wind  erosion.  There  are  fewer  young  plants  here  than 
in  the  average  stand  over  the  range. 


FIG.  2,— WHERE  SOAPWEEDS  ARE  ARRANGED  IN  THIS  MANNER  AND  BURNED 
TO  REMOVE  THE  DEAD  LEAVES,  THE  FIRE  GETS  Too  HOT  AND  BURNS  PART 
OF  THE  GREEN  LEAVES. 

The  loss  in  weight  resulting  from  such  burning  on  the  Jornada  Ran 

Where  the  plants  were  arranged  in  rows  two  plants  wide  with  the  «un,o  w  me  ^oui-ci,  mo  ±<j** 
in  weight  from  burning  was  approximately  30  per  cent.  Burning  on  the  range  as  shown  ia 
fig.  1  above  is  the  most  effective  method  where  there  is  no  danger  of  fire  spreading  and  where 
there  are  but  few  young  soapweed  sprouts  which  may  be  killed  by  the  fire. 


CHOPPED  SOAPWEED  AS  EMERGENCY  FEED.  9 

THE  PREPARATION  OF  SOAPWEED. 

CHOPPING. 

At  least  two  types  of  machines  have  been  developed  to  convert 
the  stems  and  leaves  into  feed.  One  works  on  the  principle  of  the 
ordinary  feed  chopper  and  cuts  or  slices  the  stems;  the  other  works 
on  the  principle  of  the  ordinary  "  wood  hog "  and  shreds  or  tears 
the  plant  into  particles  small  enough  to  be  eaten  readily  by  cattle. 

The  chopper  has  a  heavy  drumlike  wheel,  from  24  to  30  inches  in 
diameter  and  from  12  to  14  inches  wide,  on  the  circumference  of 
which  are  several  heavy  knives  arranged  to  work  against  a  cutter 
bar  of  heavy  steel  on  the  frame  of  the  machine.  The  wheel  makes 
from  250  to  300  revolutions  per  minute.  It  is  mounted  on  a  frame 
and  is  covered  with  a  hood  to  prevent  throwing  off  the  cut  particles 
o-f  feed.  The  soapweed  plants,  after  being  lifted  to  the  machine,  are 
carried  automatically  over  the  cutter  bar,  and  the  knives  chop  the 
stem  into  particles  somewhat  resembling  thin  slices  of  pineapple. 
A  15  or  20  horsepower  engine  is  required  to  operate  successfully 
the  larger  machines  first  put  on  the  market.  The  plants  are  fibrous 
and  tough,  so  that  power  enough  to  maintain  the  cutting  wheel  at 
high  speed  is  essential.  These,  when  in  proper  order  and  when  op- 
erated by  experienced  men,  will  chop  from  25  to  30  tons  of  soap- 
weed  per  day. 

Three  men  are  required  to  operate  the  chopper  at  full  capacity. 
One  man  lifts  the  soapweed  plants  to  the  carrier  of  the  machine,  an- 
other places  them  in  contact  with  the  carrier,  and  a  third  clears  the 
chopped  feed  away  from  the  back  of  the  machine. 

The  shredding  machine  consists  of  a  heavy  sheet-iron  box  approxi- 
mately 16  inches  wide,  16  inches  long,  and  36  inches  deep,  having 
at  the  bottom  a  small  drum  set  with  numerous  tooth-edged  knives. 
The  soapweed  plant  is  placed  on  end  in  the  boxlike  arrangement 
and  with  slight  pressure  from  the  hand  of  the  feeder  is  forced  to 
come  in  contact  with  the  drum  set  full  of  teeth.  This  drum  is  ro- 
tated at  a  rate  of  500  revolutions  per  minute,  and  the  teeth  coming 
in  contact  with  the  soapweed  plant  tear  or  shred  it  into  small  par- 
ticles. This  machine  may  be  operated  by  two  or  three  men,  and  re- 
quires an  8-horsepower  engine.  The  capacity  is  much  lower  than 
that  of  the  chopping  machine. 

Neither  machine  cuts  the  leaves  of  the  soapweed  very  much,  but 
both  tear  them  apart  enough  for  cattle  to  eat  them. 

MIXING  SOAPWEED  AND  COTTONSEED  MEAL. 

The  best  way  to  mix  cottonseed  meal  with  soapweed  is  to  sprinkle 
the  meal  over  the  chopped  soapweed  in  successive  layers  as  it  is 
loaded  into  wagons  to  be  hauled  to  the  feed  lot. 
81176°— 19— Bull.  745 2 


10  BULLETIN   745,   U.   S.    DEPARTMENT  OF   AGRICULTURE. 

FEEDING  WITH  SOAPWEED. 

HAULING  TO  THE  FEED  LOT. 

A  common  wagon  with  a  bed  from  14  to  24  inches  deep  can  be  used 
for  hauling  the  feed  from  the  chopper  to  the  feed  lot.  When  the 
feed  is  lightly  trampled  an  ordinary  wagon  bed  20  inches  deep  will 
hold  from  1,400  to  1,800  pounds,  or  approximately  20  pounds  to  the 
cubic  foot.  With  one  team  and  wagon  two  men  can  haul  10  loads 
per  day,  so  that  they  would  be  able  to  feed  1,000  cattle  per  day  at 
the  rate  of  15  pounds  per  head  per  day.  The  chopped  feed  can 
readily  be  handled  with  the  ordinary  hay  or  manure  fork. 

METHODS  OF  FEEDING. 

The  best  results  have  been  obtained  by  feeding  the  soapweed  in 
troughs  or  racks.  It  is  possible  to  feed  on  hard  ground,  but  at  best 
this  is  wasteful.  The  troughs  are  most  efficient  when  cottonseed 
meal  is  fed  with  the  soapweed. 

Substantial  troughs  16  feet  long,  4  feet  wide,  and  1  foot  deep, 
which  gives  a  large  enough  capacity  to  minimize  waste,  were  found 
very  satisfactory  in  the  feeding  operations  at  the  Jornada  Range 
Reserve.  They  were  made  of  2-inch  yellow  pine  lumber,  with,  bot- 
tom "  tongued  and  grooved  "  to  retain  cottonseed  meal,  and  were  set 
upon  substantial  legs  placed  at  each  end  and  in  the  middle,  bolted  to 
the  sides  and  securely  braced  and  long  enough  to  leave  a  space  of  18 
inches  between  the  trough  and  the  ground.  This  is  high  enough 
from  the  ground  to  eliminate  most  of  the  danger  of  the  stronger 
cows  hooking  the  weaker  ones  into  the  trough. 

To  get  the  best  results  enough  troughs  should  be  provided  so  that 
there  will  not  be  more  than  from  12  to  16  cows  for  each  trough. 

THE  COST  OF  SOAPWEED  FEED. 

The  cost  of  operations  necessary  in  feeding  soapweed,  not  including 
cost  of  cottonseed  meal,  on  the  Jornada  Range  Reserve  was  approxi- 
mately $2.27  per  ton.  This  figure  is  the  cost  after  the  men  had  be- 
come familiar  with  the  work.  At  first  it  was  about  $2.75  per  ton. 
The  item  of  wages  includes  board. 

The  cost  of  each  step  is  given  below : 

Burning,  cutting,  and  hauling  from  range  to  chopper : 

1  foreman  and  burner,  at  $1.66  per  day $1.  66 

3  laborers,  at  $1.50  per  day 4.  50 

8  mules  (feed),  at  $0.50  per  day 4.00 


10.16 

Capacity  per  day,  8  tons. 
Cost  per  ton $1.  27 


CHOPPED  SOAPWEED  AS*  EMERGENCY   FEED.  11 

Chopping  into  feed : 

1  foreman,  at  $2  per  day $2.  00 

3  laborers,  -at  $1.50  per  day___ 4.  50 

Fuel  (gas  and  oil),  at  $4.50  per  day * 4.  50 

Repairs,  etc.,  at  $4  per  day 4.  00 

15.00 
Capacity  per  day,  25  tons. 

Cost  per  ton- . $0. 6C 

Hauling  from  cutter  to  feed  lot : 

2  laborers,  at  $1.50  per  day $3.  00 

2  mules  (feed),  at  $0.50  per  day __'___     1.00 


4.00 

Capacity  per  day,  10  tons. 
Cost  per  ton .  40 


Total  cost  per  ton  delivered  to  the  feed  troughs 2.  27 

THE  COST  OF  A  MAINTENANCE  RATION. 

The  cost  of  cottonseed  meal  used  at  the  Jornada  Range  Reserve 
in  1918  was  approximately  $63.50  per  ton  at  the  reserve.  The  cost 
of  the  soapweed  was  $2.27  per  ton.  At  this  rate  a  daily  ration  of 
from  15  to  20  pounds  of  the  soapweed  with  from  1  to  1^  pounds  of 
cottonseed  meal  cost  approximately  from  $1.46  to  $1.95  per  head  per 
month,  which  is  a  reasonable  figure  compared  with  the  average  cost 
of  a  maintenance'  ration  of  hay,  even  if  hay  were  available. 

This  cost  does  not  include  the  cost  of  machinery,  nor  depreciation 
on  machinery,  wagons,  and  equipment,  nor  any  charge  for  the  serv- 
ices of  mules,  nor  the  cost  of  riding  to  gather  the  poor  cattle  put  on 
feed  and  to  keep,  the  poorest  ones  segregated  from  the  rest  in  the 
feed  lots.  Most  of  these  items  will  vary  greatly  and  can  be  esti- 
mated best  by  the  individual  feeder  for  his  intended  operations. 
The  riding*  will  not  be  much  greater  than  is  ordinarily  done  to  look 
after  the  stock,  in  times  when,  range  is  short,  and  most  stock  ranches 
have  work  horses  or  mules  which  would  probably  be  idle  if  not  used 
in  the  feeding  operations. 

A  chopping  machine  of  about  25  or  30  tons  daily  capacity  and  an 
engine  to  run  it  cost  approximately  $1,000  early  in  1918. 

THE  TIME  REQUIRED  FOR  CATTLE  TO  LEARN  TO  EAT  SOAPWEED. 

Little  or  no  trouble  has  been  experienced  in  getting  poor  breed- 
ing cattle  to  eat  the  chopped  soapweed,  and  after  they  begin  they 
relish  it.  Not  a  single  animal  among  approximately  1,000  head  fed 
on  the  Jornada  Range  Reserve  seemed  to  dislike  the  feed  or  refuse 
to  eat  it  at  the  first  feeding.  Feeding  cottonseed  meal  with  this 
highly  palatable  feed  soon  accustoms  range  cattle  to  the  taste  of 


12  BULLETIN   745,   U.    S.   DEPARTMENT  OF   AGRICULTURE. 

cottonseed  products.  This  is  of  importance  because  range  cattle 
placed  on  feed  for  the  first  time  often  require  from  7  to  10  days 
before  they  are  eating  cottonseed  products  to  advantage  if  the  meal 
or  cake  is  fed  alone. 

THE  AMOUNT  OF  SOAPWEED  CATTLE  WILL  EAT. 

In  the  feeding,  at  the  Jornada  Range  Reserve  it  was  found  that 
poor  breeding  cows  will  be  maintained  or  will  improve  slightly  in 
condition  on  from  15  to  20  pounds  of  the  soap  weed  feed  and  from  1 
to  1J  pounds  of  cottonseed  meal  per  day.  This  is  a  sufficient  ration 
to.  maintain  breeding  stock  over  a  period  of  drought.  A  mature 
animal  if  given  all  it  wants  of  a  mixture  of  15  pounds  soapweed  to  1 
of  meal  will  eat  about  50  pounds  daily. 

ILL  EFFECTS  FROM  EATING  SOAPWEED. 

There  is  a  slight  danger  from  overfeeding  with  soapweed  when 
stock  are  first  put  on  feed,  and  some  danger  of  choking.  If  cattle 
unaccustomed  to  eating  the  feed  are  supplied  all  they  will  eat  the 
first  few  days,  they  may  be  affected  by  bloating,  sometimes  resulting 
in  death.  This  bloating  is  not  very  noticeable  and  comes  on  quickly 
after  a  cow  has  overeaten.  When  death  results  it  occurs  very  soon 
after  bloating  begins,  and  the  animals  seem  to  be  in  great  pain  for 
a  short  period.  Loss  of  two  cows  out  of  more  than  1,000  fed  on  the 
Jornada  Range  Reserve  was  attributed  to  this  cause.  Choking  may 
result  from  the  attempt  of  a  cow  to  swallow  too  large  a  piece  of  the 
soapweed.  Post-mortem  examination  of  a  cow  that  died  apparently 
from  starvation  as  a  result  of  obstruction  of  the  food  passageway 
revealed  a  large  piece  of  soapweed  lodged  in  the  esophagus  at  a 
point  approximately  between  the  lungs. 

The  danger  of  both  bloating  and  choking  can  be  overcome  by 
proper  management.  Poor  cattle  that  have  been  on  short  pasturage- 
should  not  be  allowed  to  overeat  soapweed  during  the  first  few  days. 
There  is  less  danger  after  stock  become  accustomed  to  the  feed.  The 
danger  from  choking  will  be  slight  at  most,  and  it  can  be  avoided  by 
the  use  of  proper  machinery  to  cut  the  plants  into'  smaller  pieces. 

No  bad  purging  or  scouring  effect,  such  as  might  be  expected  from 
the  plant's  soaplike  qualities,  resulted  from  feeding  the  soapweed. 
Cattle  fed  over  100  days,  extending  into  the  time  when  the  sap  had 
begun  to  rise  or  growth  had  begun  in»the  plants,  were  not  affected 
at  all.  Rather  than  ill  effect  there  is  an  apparent  good  effect.  Nor- 
mally, stock  on  dry  feed  at  this  time  of  the  year  are  badly  consti- 
pated and  doubtless  would  do  better  if  given  more  purgative.  It 
was  found  on  the  Jornada  Range  Reserve  that  the  soapweed  kept  the 
digestive  tract  of  the  animals  in  excellent  condition.  There  was  a 


CHOPPED   SOAPWEED  AS  EMERGENCY   FEED.  13 

slight  effect  of  scouring  on  an.  occasional  animal  after  the  time  the 
sap  began  to  rise,  but  this  was  exceptional. 

To  determine  any  ill  effects  upon  the  digestive  tract  of  the  animal 
from  feeding  with  soap  weed,  two  range  steers,  one  4  and  the  other  5 
years  of  age,  were  fed  all  the  soapweed  and  cottonseed  meal,  in  the 
proportion  of  1  pound  of  meal  to  15  of  soapweed,  that  they  would 
eat.  One  steer  was  fed  for  65  days  and  the  other  for  87  days.  The 
average  daily  consumption  was  slightly  over  50  pounds.  Both  steers 
were  butchered  and  carefully  examined  as  to  the  effect  of  the  feed 
on  the  digestive  tract  and  on  the  meat.  All  the  thoracic  and  abdomi- 
nal viscera  in  both  steers  were  normal.  The  fluidity  of  the  viscera 
was  marked,  which  may  have  been  due  in  part  to  the  ration  of  soap- 
weed.  The  mucous  membranes  of  the  first,  third,  and  fourth  stom- 
achs had  a  marked  soapy  appearance  and  touch.  The  fat  was  of  good 
color  and  a  firm  consistency.  The  quality  of  the  meat  was  first- 
class — tender  and  juicy.  There  was  no  evidence  whatever,  either  in 
the  meat  or  in  the  fat,  that  soapweed  was  the  principal  ration,  and 
no  impaction  or  other  irregularity  was  found  in  the  digestive  tract. 

FATTENING  ON  SOAPWEED  AND  COTTONSEED  MEAL. 

Of  the  two  steers  mentioned  above,  the  one  fed  65  days,  a  gra'de 
Angus,  weighed  1,164  pounds  on  foot  when  butchered,  having  gained 
approximately  200  pounds  in  the  65-day  period.  The  dressed  car- 
cass of  this  steer  was  53.9  per  cent  of  the  live  weight.  The  other,  a 
native  Mexico  steer,  weighed  only  850  pounds  and  made  no  gain 
after  the  first  60  days  of  feeding.  It  dressed  52.9  per  t;ent  of  the  live 
weight. 

The  greatest  value  of  soapweed  is  undoubtedly  as  an  emergency- 
maintenance  ration,  and  the*  available  supply  should  be  conserved 
for  this  use  instead  of  being  utilized  for  fattening  purposes. 

GROWTH  HABITS  OF  SOAPWEED. 

Soapweed  (Yucca  elata1),  or  "palmilla,"  as  it  is  called  by  the 
Spanish-speaking  people  of  the  Southwest,  is  one  of  the  most  com- 

1  Yucca  elata  Engelm.,  according  to  Wooton  and  Standley  (Contr.  U.  S.  Nat.  Herb. 
19:  135.  1915),  is  distinguished  from  the  other  New  Mexican  yuccas  (of  which  8  species 
in  all  are  listed)  by  its  treelike  habit,  the  naked  woody  stems  in  old  plants  attaining  a 
height  of  "  3  to  4  meters"  (10  to  14  feet),  by  its  narrow  leaves  (§  inch  wide  or  less), 
and  by  its  much-branched  compound  flower  clusters. 

Y.  data  has  long,  slender,  yellowish-green,  flat,  and  fibrous-margined  leaves,  which 
readily  distinguish  it  from  the  "  Joshua  tree  "  of  southern  California,  southern.  Utah, 
and  Arizona,  Yucca  arborescens  Trele&se(=Cli8toyucca  trevifolia  (Engelm.)  Rydb.).  The 
leaves  of  Y.  arboresccns  are  short,  stout,  bluish  green,  concave  above  the  middle,  thick- 
ened, and  minutely  toothed;  furthermore,  the  fruit  of  Y.  arborescens  is  coated  with  a 
thin,  dry  pulp  instead  of  being  wholly  devoid  of  flesh,  the  petals  are  much  thicker,  and 
the  stigmas  are  not  stalked. 

The  often  treelike  Mohave  yucca  (Y.  mohavensis  Sargent)  of  southern  California  and 
Arizona  has  leaves  often  about  2  feet  long  and  3  inches  wide  (much  longer,  wider,  and 


14  BULLETIN   745,   U.    S.   DEPARTMENT*  OF   AGRICULTURE. 

mon  species  of  the  yucca  group  of  drought-resistant  plants  in  the 
Southwest.  It  is  one  of  the  common  plants  on  the  dry  plains  and 
mesas  from  western  Texas  throughout  southern  New  Mexico  to 
southern  Arizona,  and  extends  into  Mexico.  It  occurs  commonly  on 
the  sandy  soil  which  is  the  favorite  habitat  of  the  black  grama  grass 
(Bouteloua  eriopoda),  on  which  it  reaches  its  maximum  size  in 
southern  New  Mexico.  The  stand  on  such  areas  may  vary  from  a 
few  to  300  plants  per  acre.  Soapweed  grows  to  some  extent  also  on 
the  clay  flats  and  gravelly  slopes  adjacent  to  the  sandy  soil  but  does 
not  reach  its  maximum  stand  on  such  areas.  It  is  found  only  occa- 
sionally on  the  sandhill  areas,  probably  because  the  unstable  soil 
conditions  make  it  difficult  for  the  soapweed  to  establish  itself  there. 
Wherever  it  has  become  established  on  the  sandhill  areas,  however, 
there  is  often  produced  a  heavy  stand.  Further  study  is  necessary, 
therefore,  to  determine  the  factors  limiting  distribution. 

As  is  indicated  by  its  occurrence  in  different  habitats,  soapweed 
will  grow  in  sandy,  gravelly,  or  heavy  clay  soil.  It  is  not  exacting 
in  its  moisture  requirements.  It  commonly  reaches  5  or  6  feet  in 
height  and  sometimes  grows  as  high  as  30  feet  on  the  plains  where 
the  annual  rainfall  is  less  than  9  inches.  On  the  other  hand,  it  has 
been  found  growing  on  the  embankments  of  storage  tanks  at  -stock- 
watering  places  where  the  soil  is  very  moist,  and  the  growth  seemed  to 
be  little  or  no  different  from  that  on  drier  areas. 

Soapweed  commonly  reaches  a  height  of  from  4  to  6  feet,  with  a 
stem  diameter  varying  from  3  to  6  inches.  Occasionally,  specimens 
reach  a  height  as  great  as  3d  feet  and  a  diameter  slightly  greater  than 
6  inches.  Yu'cca  elata  is  different  from  most  palm  or  grasslike  plants 
in  tha£  the  stem  undergoes  diameter  enlargement  after  elongation,  or 
height  growth,  has  begun.  This  permits  additional  increase  in 
volume  and  value  of  the  plant  aside  from  height  growth,  which  is 
very  slow  after  the  plant  reaches  from  4  to  6  feet. 

As  in  many  other  drought-resistant  plants,  growth  in  soapweed 
is  very  slow.  At  best  the  plant  requires  several  years  to  reach  the 
average  height  of  from  4  to  6-  feet.  Judging  from  the  growth  of 
two-year-old  plants,  it  will  take  about  10.  years  for  new  plants  to 
reach  a  height  of  36  inches  or  over,  which  now  appears  necessary 

stouter  than  those  of  Y.  elata.),  and,  moreover,  its  fruit  is  pulpy,  the  flesh  often  being 
nearly  \  inch  thick. 

Another  Southwestern  yucca  that  usually  has  a  treelike  form  is  Schott's  yucca  (Yucca 
schotti  Engelm.),  of  southern  Arizona  and  Sonora.  Its  leaves  are  flat  except  toward 
their  concave  tips,  smooth,  light  yellow  to  bluish  green,  16  inches  to  3  feet  long,  1  to  1J 
inches  wide,  the  thickened,  untoothed  margins  finally  breaking  into  short  brittle  threads. 
Other  distinguishing  characters  are  the  hairy-woolly  inflorescence  and  the  late  (October- 
November)  ripening  fruit,  with  its  thin,  sweet,  pulpy  coating. 

Yucca  macrocarpa  (Torr.)  Coville,  ranging  from  western  Texas  to  southern  California, 
is  distinguished  by  its  long  (up  to  about  3  feet),  spiny,  concave,  yellow-green  leaves,  very 
early  flowers  (March  and  April),  long-stalked  stigmas,  and  oblong,  blackish,  fleshy,  sweet, 
and  edible  fruits,  3  to  4  inches  long,  terminating  in  an  abrupt  point  or  terminal  appendage. 


CHOPPED  SOAPWEED  AS  EMERGENCY   FEED.  15 

for  profitable  cutting  as  cattle  feed.  There  is  little  information  on 
this  point,  however,  and  it  will  be  several  years  before  reliable  data 
become  available  from  growth  studies  begun  in  1915. 

Soapweed  reproduces  by  sprouts  from  the  roots  of  the  old  plants 
and  from  seed.  The  reproduction  from  seed  is  scant  in  comparison 
with  the  quantity  of  seed  produced.  Flower  stalks  make  their  first 
appearance  about  May.  1  to  15  in  southern  New  Mexico,  and  the 
period  of  blossoming  extends  from  the  last  week  in  May  to  the  latter 
part  of  June.  After  formation  of  the  seed,  the  stalk  and  seed  begin 
to  dry  slowly,  and  the  pod  opens  in  the  fall,  dropping  the  light,  flat 
seed,  which  may  be  carried  a  considerable  distance  by  the  wind.  The 
seed  dissemination  period  often  extends  through  the  winter  into  the 
following  spring,  since  the  pods  do  not  open  fully  at  first. 

Establishment  of  growth  from  seed  is  very  slow,  perhaps  be- 
cause of  low  vitality  of  the  seed  produced  or  of  soil-moisture  condi- 
tions unfavorable  to  germination  and  to  establishment  of  the  plants 
after  germination.  Reproduction  by  sprouts  is  more  rapid.  The 
sprouts  spring  up  from  the  roots  of  the  old  plants  the  first  growing 
season  after  the  old  stem  is  cut  or  dies.  Often  also  new  plants 
spring  up  from  the  base  of  old  plants  that  are  still  alive,  indicating 
that  when  old  plants  mature  young  ones  spring  up  to  take  their 
places.  Usually  one  or  more  sprouts  spring  up  from  a  single  old 
root,  and  it  is  common  to  find  twice  as  many  new  plants  on  an  area 
as  there  were  old  plants  formerly.  After  the  first  or  second  year  the 
growth  of  sprouts  is  perhaps  not  more  rapid  than  the  growth  of 
seedlings. 

NECESSITY  FOR  CONSERVATIVE,  SELECTIVE  CUTTING. 

The  growth  habits  cf  the  soapweed  make  it  important  to  observe 
several  precautions  in  cutting  the  plant. 

While  soapweed  is  abundant  on  many  ranges  of  the  Southwest  at 
present,  the  plant  is  very  slow-growing  and  requires  possibly  10  years 
to  reach  the  size  for  profitable  cutting.  Consequently,  indiscriminate 
and  unlimited  cutting  would  result  in  depletion  of  the  supply  in  a 
comparatively  short  time.  It  is  advisable,  at  least  until  further  in- 
formation is  available  as  to  the  rate  of  growth  of  soapweed,  that 
the  soapweed  should  be  used  only  for  emergency  feed  to  carry  stock 
over  a  time  of  drought  or  for  other  emergency  needs,  such  as  feeding 
bulls  during  winters  of  average  years  if  this  is  necessary  to  insure 
satisfactory  bull  service.  As  the  droughts  occur  at  intervals  of  from 
three  to  ten  years,  it  should  be  possible  to  determine  a  rotation  sys- 
tem of  cutting,  whereby  sufficient  soapweed  will  be  available  at  any 
time  for  a  drought  that  may  last  several  years. 


16  BULLETIN   745,   U.    S.   DEPARTMENT  OF   AGRICULTURE. 

It  has  been  found  that  areas  of  sandy  soil  which  have  been  de- 
nuded of  vegetation  are  often  reduced  to  a  sandy  waste  as  a  result 
of  wind  erosion.  The  heavy  stand  of  soapweed  undoubtedly  is  an 
important  factor  in  bringing  about  and  maintaining  stable  soil  con- 
ditions favorable  to  the  establishment  and  growth  of  grama  grass 
and  other  important  range  forage  plants.  It  is  reasonable  to  sup- 
pose that  should  the  cover  of  soapweed  be  removed  by  cutting  on 
sandy  areas,  severe  wind  erosion  would  follow  and  result  in  range 
depletion  and  difficulty  in  reestablishing  a  cover  of  vegetation. 
Some  system  of  selection  in  cutting  whereby  a  sufficient  number  of 
soapweed  plants  will  be  left  to  serve  as  protection  against  wind  ero- 
sion is  advisable.  This  is  very  simple  where  cutting  is  for  feed  pur- 
poses. It  is  not  profitable  to  cut  plants  below  36  inches  in  height  for 
feed,  and  ordinarily  more  than  50  per  cent  or  more  of  the  plants  on 
an  area  are  under  36  inches  in  height.  If  these  plants  are  left  uncut, 
they  will  form  a  reasonably  effective  protection. 

Ordinarily  stock  eat  all  the  blooms  within  reach  in  the  spring  of 
the  year,,  leaving  only  the  tall  plants  to  furnish  seed.  In  order  to 
permit  natural  seeding  of  areas  barren  of  soapweed  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  leave  some  of  these*  taller  plants  uncut. 

The  soapweed  plants  in  their  native  state  on  the  range  have  a  value 
also  as  a  protection  to  stock.  The  tall  plants  furnish  shade  to  stock 
during  the  hot  summer  days,  besides  furnishing  protection,  especially 
for  young  calves,  during  cold  rains  and  winds,  which  sometimes  occur 
in  the  Southwest.  It  may  be  found  advisable  to  leave  plants  to 
furnish  such  protection  in  addition  to  those  left  for  seed  plants. 
Restricting  the  use  of  soapweed  to  periods  of  drought  and  feed 
shortage  should  make  it  possible  to  plan  the  cutting  so-  as  to  leave  a 
sufficiently  large  number  of  plants  on  noncut-over  areas  to  furnish 
shade  and  shelter. 

If  the  plants  below  36  inches  on  areas  cut  over  are  left  uncut  and  if 
no  more  cutting  is  done  than  is  necessary  for  emergency  feed,  the 
amount  of  feed  obtained  from  grazing  the  blossoms,  green  leaves,  and 
new  growth  of  the  plants  will  not  be  materially  reduced.  Conse- 
quently this  source  of  forage  can  be  relied  upon  as  much  as  before 
cutting. 

The  extent  to  which  plants  above  36  inches  in  height  can  be  removed 
without  endangering  the  permanent  supply  of  emergency  feed  and 
without  injury  to  the  forage  cover  or  to  soil  conditions  must  be 
determined  by  further  investigation.  Owing  to  the  slow  growth  of 
the  plant,  it  will  require  a.  period  of  years  to  determine  this  with 
accuracy.  In  the  meantime  it  will  probably  be  safe  to  use  the  soap- 
weed  for  feed  if  the  suggestions  given  above  about  cutting  are 
observed.  As  new  methods  are  developed  for  converting  the  plants 
into  stock  feed,  and  as  more  information  becomes  available  as  to  the 


Bui.  745,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture. 


PLATE  II 


FIG.  I.— EQUIPMENT  USED  FOR  CHOPPING  SOAPWEED  INTO  CATTLE  FEED. 

Threo  men  are  required  to  operate  this  machine.  The  chopper  cost  from  $300  to  $550  and  requires 
a  15  to  20  horsepower  engine  to  operate  it.  Run  at  fuD  capacity  it  will  chop  from  25  to  30  tons 
of  soapweed  per  day. 


FIG.  2.— EFFECT  OF  WIND  EROSION  ON  SOIL  FOLLOWING  THE  REMOVAL  OF 
SOAPWEED  AND  OTHER  VEGETATION  BY  EXTENSIVE  GRAZING  AND  TRAM- 
PLING NEAR  AN  IMPORTANT  WATERING  PLACE. 

The  top  of  the  root  stumps  was  the  former  ground  surface. 


Bui.  745,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture. 


PLATE  IV. 


r  V 


FIG.  I.— A  HEAVY  STAND  OF  SOAPWEED  (YUCCA  ELATA)  AS  IT  OFTEN  OCCURS 
ON  SANDY  SOIL  ASSOCIATED  WITH  BLACK  GRAMA  GRASS  (BOUTELOUA 
ERIOPODA). 

Plants  under  36  inches  in  height  and  occasional  tall  seed  plants  should  be  left  when  such  areas 
are  cut  over.  The  young  plants  and  a  few  older  ones  will  serve  as  protection  against 
destructive  wind  erosion  and  as  protection  for  stock,  besides  insuring  a  second  crop  for  cut- 
ting in  perhaps  5  years. 


FIG.  2.— SOAPWEED  SPROUT  THE  SECOND  YEAR  AFTER  CUTTING  OF  THE  OLD 

PLANT. 

Indications  are  that  it  will  require  about  10  years  for  such  young  plants  to  reach  average  size 
for  profitable  second  cutting. 


CHOPPED  SOAPWEED  AS  EMERGENCY  FEED.  17 

growth  habits  of  the  plants  and  their  value  as  a  protection  in  building 
up  and  maintaining  range,  more  extensive  cutting  for  feed  may  be 
found  practicable.  On  the  othel-  hand,  more  restricted  cutting  than 
is  here  recommended  may  be  found  advisable. 

USE  OF  RELATED  SPECIES. 

SMALL   SOAPWEED'  AND   SACAHUISTA. 

The  possibility  of  making  good  feed  from  the  leaf  portions  alone 
of  plants  like  the  soap  weed  suggests  the  use  of  small  soapweed,  or  bear 
grass  (Yucca  glauca),  which  occurs  north  from  central  New  Mexico, 
and  sacahuista  (NolincC  microcarpa) ,  which  is  found  in  southwestern 
New  Mexico  and  southern  Arizona,  as  well  as  N.  erump'ens,  which 
occurs  in  western  Texas.  These  often  occur  in  considerable  abun- 
dance. They  do  not,  however,  reach  a  height  of  more  than  20  inches, 
and  do  not  have  a  trunk  or  stem  similar  to  that  of  the  soapweed. 
They  have  been  tried  out  as  feed  with  fair  success.  The  plants  are 
chopped  o-ff  at  the  ground,  so  that  the  leaves  are  separated  from  the 
rest.  The  leaves  are  then  fed  to  the  cattle.  It  is  possible  that  this 
feed  might  be  improved  if  made  into  ensilage. 

SOTOL. 

Sotol  (Dasylirion  wheeleri)  occurs  from  western  Texas  to  southern 
Arizona  and  D.  Texanum  in  western  Texas.  Forage  analyses  and 
feeding  experiments  indicate  that  sotol  is  as  valuable  as  soapweed 
when  it  is  properly  cut  and  prepared.  It  is  more  limited  in  quantity 
than  the  soapweed,  however,  since  it  is  confined  to  the  low  mountains 
and  foothills.  Unlike  the  soapweed,  it  does  not  sprout  again  from 
the  old  root  when  cut.  Furthermore,  it  is  slower-growing  than  the 
soapweed,  so  that  there  will  be  an  indefinite  period  after  cutting 
before  another  stand  is  ready  to  cut. 

SUMMARY. 

Severe  droughts  which  occur  at  intervals  of  from  three  to  ten 
years  have  in  the  past  caused  severe  setbacks  to  the  range  cattle 
industry  in  the  Southwest  through  the  greatly  reduced  crop  of  range 
forage  during  such  periods  and  the  lack  of  an  economical  feed  as  a 
substitute.  A  substitute,  which  is  satisfactory  to  a  large  extent 
at  any  rate,  has  been  found  in  soapweed  (Yucoa  elata). 

On  the  range  soapweed  is  important  as  forage.  Stock  eat  the 
leaves  of  the  plant  when  other  more  palatable  vegetation  is  scarce. 
The  blooms  and  the  growing  tip  in  the  center  of  the  upper  circle 
of  leaves  form  an  important  part  of  the  forage  for  cattle  in  the  late 
spring  and  early  summer. 


18  BULLETIN   745,   U.    S.    DEPARTMENT  OF   AGRICULTURE. 

Forage  analysis  has  shown  chopped  soapweed  to  be  comparable 
with  native  forage  grasses  and  some  of  the  poorer  hay  crops.  The 
entire  stem  as  well  as  the  leaves  can  be  utilized,  and  machines  have 
been  developed  for  chopping  both  stem  and  leaves  into  particles 
small  enough  to  be  eaten  by  cattle.  As  ensilage  it  is  satisfactory,  but 
the  ensilage  process  is  unnecessary  where  the  soapweed  is  abundant. 
The  chopped  trunks  or  stems,  which  furnish  the  bulk  of  the  feed,  are 
palatable  and,  when  fed  with  the  chopped  leaves,  are  readily  eaten 
by  stock  without  any  softening  process. 

Results  obtained  on  the  Jornada  Range  Reserve,  where  more  than 
1,000  head  of  poor  cows  were  fed  in  the  spring  of  1918  with  very 
light  losses,  and  results  obtained  on  many  other  ranches  in  the  South- 
west to  which  the  feeding  practice  spread  rapidly,  have  demonstrated 
very  clearly  that  the  feeding  of  soapw^eed,  with  a  supplemental  ration 
of  cottonseed  meal  or  other  similar  concentrate,  is  practicable  as  a 
means  of  maintaining  range  cattle  in  time  of  drought. 

The  dead  leaves  should  be  removed  before  the  plants  are  chopped. 
On  the  Jornada  Range  Reserve  this  was  done  by  burning.  If  there 
is  no  danger  of  fire  spreading,  the  burning  can  be  done  best  while 
the  plants  are  standing  on  the  range.  Otherwise,  the  burning  should 
be  done  after  the  plants  are  hauled  to  the  chopper.  The  reason  for 
the  removal  of  the  dead  leaves  is  that  they  are  of  low  forage  value 
and  are  unpalatable. 

Plants  over  36  inches  in  height  should  be  selected  for  cutting. 
Those  selected  should  be  chopped  off  at  the  ground  surface  and  run 
through  a  specially  constructed  machine  which  cuts  or  tears  the  en- 
tire plant  into  particles  fine  enough  to  be  readily  eaten  by  stock. 
This  chopped  feed  mixed  with  a  small  amount  of  cottonseed  meal 
or  similar  concentrate  is  fed  to  the  stock,  preferably  in  large  troughs. 

From  15  to  20  pounds  of  chopped  soapweed  with  1  to  1J  pounds  of 
cottonseed  meal  daily  will  maintain  the  average  breeding  cow  and 
may  improve  her  condition  slowly. 

During  1918  the  total  operation  in  handling  the  soapweed  from 
its  native  condition  on  the  Jornada  Range  Reserve  to  the  feed  lot  cost 
from  $2.27  to  $2.78  per  ton,  not  takirig  into  consideration  the  initial 
cost  of  machinery  and  equipment.  With  cottonseed  meal  at  $63.50 
per  ton  the  cost  of  maintaining  a  cow  on  from  15  to  20  pounds  of  the 
mixed  feed  per  day  was  from  $1.46  to  $1.95  per  month,  besides  the 
cost  of  providing  water  and  salt  and  of  handling  of  the  stock. 

Where  cows  are  very  poor  when  placed  on  feed,  it  will  probably 
be  profitable  to  give  them  a  larger  ration  for  20  or  30  days  until  they 
improve  in  condition  sufficiently  to  be  carried  on  the  lighter  ration 
without  danger  of  loss.  Stock  that  have  improved  on  the  lighter 
ration  can  probably  be  maintained  at  a  slightly  lower  cost  on  a  scant 


CHOPPED  SOAPWEED  AS  EMERGENCY   FEED.  19 

grass  or  browse  pasture  and  1J  pounds  of  cottonseed  cake  per  day, 
especially  where  securing  labor  is  a  difficult  problem. 

Poor  cattle  should  not  be  fed  all  the  soapweed  feed  they  will  eat 
the  first  few  days  on  feed,  since  there  is  a  slight  danger  of  loss  from 
bloating  until  they  become  accustomed  to  the  feed. 

Choking  may  occur  as  a  result  of  a  cow  trying  to  swallow  too  large 
a  particle  of  the  soapweed.  This  is  only  occasional,  however,  and  can 
be  avoided  by  the  use  of  a  machine  that  cuts  the  feed  properly. 

There  is  no  cumulative  ill  effect  on  the  digestive  tract  of  cattle  fed 
on  the  soapweed  over  a  long  period.  Neither  is  there  any  harmful 
purgative  effect  from  the  soapweed,  except  occasional  scouring  when 
feeding  is  continued  after  the  sap  begins  to  rise  in  the  plant.  On 
the  contrary,  the  soapweed  tends  to  keep  the  digestive  tract  of  the 
animals  in  good  condition.  It  is  possible  that  the  occasional  scour- 
ing effect  may  be  overcome  by  delaying  the  chopping  of  the  plants 
into  feed  until  they  have  been  allowed  to  dry  out  for  several  days 
after  the  dry  leaves  are  burned.  This,  however,  is  a  suggestion  only, 
as  it  has  not  been  tried  in  practice. 

The  soapweed  is  found  from  western  Texas  to  southern  Arizona 
It  reaches  its  average  height  and  heaviest  stands  on  the  sandy  soils 
usually  occupied  also  by  the  black  grama  grass  of  the  region.  It  is 
one  of  the  slow-growing  drought-resistant  plants,  and  although  it  re- 
produces by  sprouts  from  the  old  roots  it  probably  requires  10  years 
for  such  sprouts  to  become  tall  enough  for  a  profitable  second  cutting. 

The  soapweed  has  some  value  as  a  protection  for  cattle  against 
storms  and  against  the  heat  of  the  sun. 

Soapweed  is  slow-growing,  occupies  a  soil  highly  subject  to  wind 
erosion,  and  is  a  protection  to  stock,  so  that  it  is  advisable  to  use  the 
plant  only  as  emergency  feed.  Only  the  larger  plants  should  be 
selected  for  cutting,  the  smaller  ones  being  left  to  protect  the  soil. 
Occasional  plants  tall  enough  for  the  blooms  to  be  out  of  the  reach 
of  cattle  should  be  left  for  seed  plants  and  as  a  protection  for  stock. 

Small  soapweed,  or  bear  grass  (Yucca  glauca),  and  sacahuista 
(Nolina  microcarpa  and  N.  erumpens)  are  somewhat  similar  to  the 
soapweed,  the  small  soapweed  being  found  slightly  farther  north. 
It  is  possible  that  the  greatest  use  of  these  plants  for  feed  will  be 
as  ensilage. 

Sotol  (Dasylirion  wheeleri  and  D.  texanum)  furnish  feed  for  cattle 
about  equal  in  value  to  soapweed  when  similarly  chopped  and  pre- 
pared, but  its  limited  distribution  and  slow  reproduction  restrict 
its  importance  as  an  emergency  stock  feed. 

Methods  of  converting  the  soapweed  into  stock  feed  are  not  yet 
thoroughly  developed,  and  will  doubtless  be  improved  upon.  More 
data  on  the  rate  of  growth,  which  it  will  take  several  years  to  acquire, 


20 


BULLETIN   745,   U.    S.   DEPAETMENT  OF   AGRICULTURE. 


will  make  available  information  upon  which  to  base  a  satisfactoi 
cutting  system.     Further  investigations  may  warrant  modificatic 
in  the  present  cutting  practice  either  by  extending  or  by  restrictinj 
cutting.     Meantime,  however,  it  is  believed  that  the  soap  weed  ma; 
be  cut  for  use  as  an  emergency  feed  without  any  great  damage 
the  range  or  danger  of  depleting  the  supply  for  emergency  feeding 
if  the  suggestions  contained  in  this  bulletin  relative  to  selective  cul 
ting  are  followed. 

o 


Gaylord  Bros. 

Makers 

Syracuse,  N.  V. 
PAT.  JAN.  21,  1908 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


